Dear Don, Chuck, Gunnar and all,
I agree with Don's description of intelligence as describing ' emergent
properties of networked communications (among neurons, animals (e.g., ant
or swarming birds. . . with the notion of plant intelligence resulting from
similar networks of communicating structures.' I'd extend this to also
include some structural facilities developed over time in response to their
environments by the agents involved.
These are ways of thinking from the realms of ethology and systems analysis.
For some years, I've been explaining that using ethology and an
ethological viewpoint resolves many of the difficulties and contradictions
in design theory and research across most design domains. It also provides a
way of making obvious and simplifying many issues regarded as 'mysteries' in
design theory. Many, however, seem to assume I've mistyped, and that I was
writing about ethnography!
The idea of 'plant intelligence' as sketched by Don follows the ethological
line. The description by Chuck is pulling the idea back into a human-centric
anthropomorphic interpretation.
Chuck, instead of seeing plant intelligence as a metaphor for something in
[human] design and something at a distance in a different realm, I suggest
the idea of design activity instead can be adjusted to include plant
intelligence. That way, it becomes more possible to see humans as a part
of, and integrated with, the whole of life.
Gunnar, to answer one of your questions from a different thread, the
ethological focus is why I write about 'creation of designs' using the
rather flat technical meaning of ' any creation of a specification [design]
for something to be made or done' , rather than using the human-centric,
meaning-laden and emotionally laden, common folk definition of
'creativity'.
Best wishes ,
Terry
---
Dr Terence Love
PhD(UWA), BA(Hons) Engin. PGCEd, FDRS, AMIMechE, PMACM, MISI
Honorary Fellow
IEED, Management School
Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
ORCID 0000-0002-2436-7566
Director,
Love Services Pty Ltd
PO Box 226, Quinns Rocks
Western Australia 6030
Tel: +61 (0)4 3497 5848
Fax:+61 (0)8 9305 7629
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--
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Don Norman
Sent: Monday, 30 December 2013 2:35 AM
To: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related
research in Design
Subject: Intelligence in plants
I found the article That Charles referred to (see below) to be an
intelligent and fascinating discussion of a scientific controversy. Because
I believe in intelligence as a result of emergent properties of networked
communications (among neurons, animals (e.g., ant or swarming birds), I
side with the notion of plant intelligence resulting from similar networks
of communicating structures.
What the article has to do with this discussion group isn't at all obvious,
but it is fascinating to read. You can find it at
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/12/23/131223fa_fact_pollan?currentPa
ge=all
or go to
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/12/23/131223fa_fact_pollan
And after the first page, where you are expected to pay to see the rest,
click on the "print" button.
Don
On Sun, Dec 29, 2013 at 9:02 AM, Charles Burnette <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> The article, "The Intelligent Plant" in the December 23-30, 2013 New
> Yorker magazine, p92-105, beautifully communicates the tensions
> concerning semantic, philosophic, and practical science in the
> emerging field of "Plant Signaling and Behavior" or "Plant
> Neurobiology" as those who wish to broaden thinking through metaphor
> (as well as science) espouse. We design types are not even close to
> the contentious and creative ferment going on there. The quality and
> resourcefulness of their ideas and argumentation are worth reflecting on.
>
> Pollan, Michael, 2013: The Intelligent Plant, The New Yorker Magazine,
> December 23-30, p 92-105
>
Don Norman
Nielsen Norman Group, IDEO Fellow
[log in to unmask] www.jnd.org http://www.core77.com/blog/columns/
Book: "Design of Everyday Things: Revised and
Expanded<http://amzn.to/ZOMyys>"
(DOET2).
Course: Udacity On-Line course based on
DOET2<https://www.udacity.com/course/design101>
(free).
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